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SPRINGFIELD, MASS. 



HER PICTURESQUE BEAUTY 

AND 

COMMERCIAL ENTERPRISE. 



COMPLIMENTS OF 

THE MASSASOIT HOUSE 

W. H. CHAPIN, PROPRIETOR. 




vj-Vs 



PRESS OF 
SPRINGFIELD PRINTING AND BINDING CO. 



Copyright, 18S9, 
By W. H. CHAPIN. 



I. 

INTRODUCTORY AND HISTORICAL 



Springfield, with its eventful history of 253 
years, its exceptionally picturesque and central 
location upon the banks of the Connecticut river 
in Western Massachusetts, and the assured pros- 
pect of still greater growth and commercial im- 
portance, has much to invite the attention of the 
tourist. There have been few towns in the com- 
monwealth of Massachusetts which have borne 
their part in moulding its fortunes with greater 
integrity, and still fewer have retained so much of 
the staid quality of the New England town, com- 
bined with that modern enterprise which places 
America at the head of the commercial world. 

The men destined to become the founders of 
Springfield were drawn to the Connecticut valley by 
glowing tales of its fertility only five years after the 
founding of Boston. William Pynchon, an emi- 
grant from Springfield, Essexshire, England, and a 
magistrate vested with official power under the 
Massachusetts colonial charter, came to this region, 
with a few families from Roxbury, in the spring of 



1636, There is an indefinite record that a band of 
explorers a year before had given good assurance 
of the promise of the place, and the settlers had no 
apprehension of failure. They located themselves 
on the west side of the river and named the little 
village Agawam, the Indian expression for meadow 
and the name of a tribe of Indians occupying the 
region. The freshets of the early season soon con- 
vinced them that the east side was better suited for a 
village site. Hither they came, each new arrival 
receiving an allotment of the land which now com- 
poses the business portion of the city ; the rude 
and scarcely defined street which these early pio- 
neers opened is now the Main street of Springfield. 
At first the new village was under the jurisdic- 
tion of Connecticut, but the inhabitants soon with- 
drew from the "Hartford government" and the 
place was recognized as a Massachusetts town. In 
1641 the inhabitants, in town meeting assembled, 
complimented Mr. Pynchon by giving the town the 
name of his English home, Springfield. The name 
of Agawam is still preserved in a little country vil- 
lage across the Connecticut. The same year, " the 
Great and General Court" recognized the town 
by its new name of Springfield. A minister, Rev. 
George Moxon, was also settled on a salary of 14 
pounds sterling and the work of making the little 



plantation a shiretown and finally the capital of 
Western Massachusetts was begun. 

Houses had been built, children born, and outly- 
ing villages established, before the Indians forsook 
their friendly tactics for war ; but in 1675, Philip, 
the chief of the Pokanokets, incited 200 of the 
Agawam Indians to join 300 of his braves in an 
attack upon the little hamlet. They selected the 
time of attack when the English soldiers, who were 
commanded by Major John Pynchon, were at Had- 
ley. The inhabitants took refuge in three fortified 
houses. The main part of the town was burned. 
The slaughter only included three men and one 
woman. This was the first local war. For the next 
seventy-five years there were occasional frays with 
the savages, but comparatively few inhabitants were 
killed. 

After the Revolution the village had another taste 
of war. Daniel Shays and many discontented fol- 
lowers, who were oppressed with heavy debts, pre- 
vented the judges in several counties from holding 
court and in 1787 they attempted to seize the United 
States arsenal at Springfield. Col. Shepard of 
Westfield with a small company of soldiers resisted 
the attack, and after a few shots the mob was scat- 
tered, thus bringing to a close what is known as the 
Shays Rebellion. 



The United States arsenal has given Springfield 
reputation. It had its origin just before the Revo- 
lution, received the sanction of Congress in 1794 
and a gift of 640 acres of land in 1798. At the pres- 
ent time it is the principal federal station for the 
manufacture of arms, has received many liberal 
appropriations from Congress for the building of 
new stocking shops and other structures, and under 
the management of able army officers and mechanics 
has attained a very high rank of usefulness. 

In all the national struggles, from the Revolution 
down, Springfield soldiery was prompt at the front 
and a liberal quota of lives was sacrificed in the de- 
fense of the nation. Interest was heightened early 
in the abolition cause by the presence of the hero of 
Harper's Ferry, John Brown, who formed clubs of 
colored men and made the agitation here more in- 
tense than in most places. 

The incorporation of the city took place in 1852, 
when the population was about 12,000. The great- 
est growth in commercial importance has taken 
place since that time, and at present the inhabitants 
number about 43,000. The city's career has fur- 
nished an absorbing theme for the historian, and in 
May, 1886, — the 250th anniversary of the founding 
of the town, — its story was creditably rehearsed 
during a two-days' celebration. 



II. 

PICTURESQUE SPRINGFIELD. 



Summer tourists who enter New England from 
the west, going to the Canadian resorts, the White 
Mountains, or the numerous watering places along 
the coast, often find the natural beauties of Spring- 
field and its environment of sufficient interest to 
warrant them in lingering here for two or three 
days. Such visitors find Springfield an accessible 
center of many places of historical and natural 
interest. It is doubtful if there is another city in 
the Union, where the country and the city are com- 
bined more pleasantly. A rapid walker can start 
from Main street, and, going in the direction of 
Agawam, will in a few minutes reach a point where 
the rural element is found so complete and genuine 
that, unless he raises his eyes to the spires and 
towers of the city across the Connecticut, he is apt 
to forget that he has just left a city. 

Here he can gain the best impression of the city's 
fine location, arising from the east bank of the Con- 
necticut river. The city rises on terraces, formed as 



8 

geologists assert by the river, and is crowned by the 
broad plateau where the Armory buildings com- 
mand a view of the newest portion of the city, 
recently called " The Highlands." The absence of 
the rough and vulgar element in the people the 
traveler meets, will soon suggest to him the purity 
of the city. The moral quality of the place is of 
an unusually high grade, compared with the aver- 
age city in New England. This is the spirit of the 
early Puritan pioneers, which has descended with 
the generations, and has been sustained by the 
churches, of which there are an unusual number. 
This strengthens the appropriateness of the name, 
''City of Homes," in which Springfield has de- 
lighted. 

The United States Armory, near State street, 
established in the Revolutionary epoch, attracts all 
visitors to Springfield, for the interesting work of 
the shops, the museum of curious and historical 
arms, and, above all, for the magnificent panorama 
of nature to be seen from the Armory tower. The 
city, in the time of foliage, is almost hidden by the 
trees, from which emerge the church spires and the 
towers of handsome residences, while the business 
streets appear prominent in the clear space by con- 
trast. Looking beyond the immediate surrounding, 
there is a charming view of the broad valley ; the 



prospect is world-famous, and has been aptly 
described by a well-known writer, as follows : — 

Toward the north, midst the interval of wooded hills and 
spreading meadows, with the Chicopee river flowing through and 
framed by the graceful outline of Mt. Tom and the Holyoke range, 
are the manufacturing chimneys, towers and spires of Chicopee, 
Chicopee Falls, and Holyoke, the fertile bottom lands of old 
Chicopee street, and the higher plains of Ludlow. Toward the 
east is the wide expanse of champaign country through which the 
old Bay Path highway and the Boston and Albany railroad thread 
their course towards Palmer, with the Wilbraham road diverging to 
the " Springfield mountains " on the right. Toward the south, 
the lovely Pecousic vale, and Pecousic hill merging into the long 
stretches of the Longmeadow forest, with East Longmeadow on 
its left, and on its right the old village of the " long-medowe " 
itself, its spacious street and elevated plateau looking down upon 
the fair expanse of level acres whence it derives its name, and 
along which glides and winds and gleams the bordering river. 
The westward view beyond the silver stream includes the green 
expanse of the farther meadows belonging to West Springfield and 
Agawam ; the towering elms and leafy maples under which nestle 
the village mansions and the scattered farm-houses ; the old 
sentinel white meeting-house on West Springfield hill : the 
fresher beauty of Mittineague as it creeps up the terraces of the 
fitful Agawam; and the magnificent stretch of broken interval 
that vanishes in the distant horizon of the Berkshire hills. 

Springfield is well supplied with pleasure grounds 
for the health and enjoyment of its people, and with 
monuments and statues. The grounds and other 
surroundings of the United States Armory are 
always kept in fine order. The cannon and senti- 
nels about the place and the broad stretches of 
greensward invite a stroll, while beyond are the 



shops, to the interior of which visitors are admitted 
on application for pass. The museum is the prize 
exhibit here, however. It has a complete display 
of weapons, both offensive and defensive, and of 
armor covering well-nigh the whole history of the 
world's warfare. The evolution of the gun down 
from the awkward and aimless blunderbuss, to the 
perfected and certain rifle of to-day is shown. 
Beside these things, there are individual pieces 
" with a history," specimens of Gatling guns and 
many other curiosities of absorbing interest. 

Only a few years ago the city received through 
the generosity of Mr. O. H. Greenleaf a tract of 
land at the southern end of the city, remarkably 
well adapted by nature for the forming of a hand- 
some public pleasure ground. The tract contains 
95 acres and is accessible by a horse car at some cen- 
tral location of the city, requiring a short walk from 
the terminus to bring the sight-seer to it. This gift 
under the hands of a skilled landscape artist has 
been transformed into a beautiful retreat with slop- 
ing lands, places for picnics, glades and glens, lakes 
and streams, and a labyrinthine driveway, which 
offers a constantly changing scene as one ambles 
leisurely through its mazes. This has been done 
without the destruction of the natural attractive- 
ness of the place, and it is rather by "bringing 



out " nature in her own splendor, than by attempt- 
ing artificial beautification, that the charm of this 
place has been wrought. The city government is 
constantly adding to the park,— Forest Park, as it is 
known, — and it will be several years before the 
entire acreage has received its permanent perfect- 
ing. 

Court Square, another pleasure ground, just aside 
from Main street, has been recently relaid in new 
turf, curbing, and walks, under the direction and 
expense of the city. This land was made over to 
the city in 182 1, by a syndicate of liberal and far- 
sighted men. The spot is not only in the business 
heart of the city but is on the land first given out 
to the settlers and is located among the choicest his- 
torical associations of the city. The shade trees 
and elms about the square are very ancient, and one 
at the southeast corner of the square casts a shadow 
on the site of the old tavern on Court street, where 
General George Washington tasted liquid refresh- 
ments of a strong flavor while on his way between 
Cambridge and New York. 

The soldiers' monument located on Court Square, 
given by Mr. Gurdon Bill, was a proper recognition 
of the city's appreciation for the heroism of her citi- 
zens in war. The statue of Miles Morgan, erected 
by one of his descendants of the fifth generation, is 



12 

the typical figure of the Puritan, bearing a bell- 
mouthed blunderbuss over his shoulder. It was 
given by the late Henry T. Morgan of New York 
city, and executed by J. S. Hartley. Its fidelity to 
the costume and manners of the time, and its beauty 
of workmanship, have been pronounced upon by 
art critics and it is reckoned as one of the finest 
works of a skillful sculptor. The Wesson fountain, 
just in front of the Square, is another adornment 
worthy of notice, given by Daniel B. Wesson, in 
1884. 

Stearns park, a tract of land extending from 
Worthington to Bridge street, was given to the city 
by the late Charles Stearns thirty years ago and un- 
til recently was chiefly notable as a barrier to the 
spread of flames in the great fire of 1875, when the 
loss was upwards of $400,000. This park has been 
favored with rich gifts of late, and its surroundings, 
it is believed, with the assured growth of the city, 
will be worth}^ of its handsome adornments. Here 
the statue of the Puritan, Deacon Samuel Chapin, 
an early settler, attracts all lovers of fine art. It 
was the work of the well-known sculptor, Augustus 
St. Gaudens, and was procured at great expense by 
the late Chester W. Chapin. It is considered by 
many as the handsomest statue in the city and 
makes a striking feature of the park, as it represents 



13 

the Puritan on his way to church, speeding along so 
rapidly that his cloak is spread out to the breeze. 

There are many other parks in the city of less 
importance, but not so closely distributed as to 
make them the less useful as grateful resting-places. 
Hampden park is well known in the sporting world; 
Springfield has the good fortune to belong to the 
Eastern Trotting Circuit, and " racing week " is 
one of the exciting features of the year on this park. 
Beside these there are the following parks : City 
Hall park, in the rear of City Hall ; Winchester 
park, at the head of State street, named for the late 
ex-Mayor Charles N. Winchester ; Kibbe park, at 
junction of Federal and Armory streets, given by 
Horace Kibbe ; Buckingham park, bounded by 
Buckingham place and Buckingham and Bay 
streets, adorned with fountains and given to the 
city by John D. and W. H. McKnight ; Gladwood 
park, at the junction of Armory road with North 
Main street ; Hanover-street park, at the corner of 
Elmwood and Hanover streets ; Calhoun park, on 
Jefferson avenue, between Sheldon and Montmo- 
renci streets ; North Main street parks ; Edge- 
wood, a forest tract of loo acres bordering on the 
east side of the old Bay road, and made accessible 
to the public ; and Benton park, near the United 
States Armory, named in honor of the late Col. J. S. 



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Benton, who was commandant at the Armory for 
fifteen years and died in service. 

Springfield, so centrally located in Western Mas- 
sachusetts, invites excursions which can be com- 
passed in a day. The historic town of Deerfield, 
the scene of the famous Indian massacre, is a tempt- 
ing jaunt to the lover of nature and history alike. 
The old Newgate prison at Simsbury, Ct., has been 
the Mecca of many a tally-ho ride. Indeed, border- 
ing so closely upon Connecticut it is a w^onder 
that Springfield w^as so fortunate as to be a part of 
the grand old Commonw^ealth of Massachusetts. 
Lenox, the fashionable Berkshire watering-place, 
is easily reached, and the Berkshire hills, and Will- 
iams College, at Williamstown, are within a few 
hours' ride by rail, while Amherst College is nearer 
yet. Smith College, at Northampton, is only i6 
miles away. 

The drives within a radius of 20 miles of Spring- 
field offer a variety of calm rural scenery. Down 
the Connecticut, into the "Nutmeg state,'^ the land 
is level, rich in vegetation, and affords a constant 
panorama of charming vignettes of river scenes. 
Mounts Tom and Holyoke, up the river, offer an 
entirely different sort of picturesqueness. Another 
jaunt that tempts the students of human destiny, 
as well as the lovers of a genuine old-fashioned 



15 

spread, is a visit to the Shaker families at Enfield, 
Ct. They always receive their guests with open- 
handed hospitality — for a consideration. 

Indeed, one can hardly exhaust the attractions of 
Picturesque Springfield in a brief sketch. There 
are many picnic groves, fine vantage points for an 
expansive view, opportunities for boating on United 
States Watershops pond, and for sailing and canoe- 
ing on the Connecticut. 



III. 

PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS AND 
STRUCTURES. 



Springfield's quota of public buildings, for 
county and municipal government, her churches, 
educational and charitable institutions, and hand- 
some business houses have been greatly admired. 
The makers of her architecture have been masters 
of their art, and especially famous is the late H. H. 
Richardson, who when a poor youth, struggling 
against great odds for a livelihood, achieved some 
of his earliest and best work in this city. The 
buildings he constructed trace the development of 
his individual genius. 

Some of the best specimens of Mr. Richardson's 
work will be the first to attract the notice of the 
stranger. The Hampden County Court-house, a 
granite building, located on Elm street, — an unfort- 
unate spot indeed for so fine an edifice, — was built 
in 1874, at a cost of $300,000. This is one of the 
latest of the great architect's work in Springfield, 
and is constructed after the modern Italian style, 



17 

from granite quarried at Monson, a neighboring 
village. It is of a massive and compact appearance, 
in full sympathy with its use, — the administration of 
justice, — and " Lex " is the motto graved on the 
entablature beneath its eaves. It is surmounted by 
a heavy square tower, 150 feet high, modeled after 
that of the Palazzo Vecchio at Florence, Italy. 

Three churches were built by Richardson. The 
church of the Unity on State street was one of his 
earliest productions. This is a Gothic structure, 
true to that type in the minutest details and counted 
as one of the architectural gems of the common- 
wealth. It was erected before Mr. Richardson's 
independent ideas had asserted themselves in his 
work. The South Congregational church on Maple 
street bears more of his own individuality. It 
stands as a rare specimen of church architecture, 
and its original details have been closely studied by 
many of Mr. Richardson's followers. This edifice, 
mainly Romanesque in type, followed the North 
Congregational church, which was of Norman style. 
It is of freestone, built in the shape of a cross, with 
a massive tower which resembles Trinity church of 
Boston, Richardson's greatest work. A handsome 
dwelling, one of the gems of the city, corner of 
School and Union streets, deserves notice, as de- 
signed by this artist. 



i8 

Beside these churches built by Mr. Richardson, 
there are many others equally as costly and very 
handsome. Among these are Christ (Protestant 
Episcopal) church, on Chestnut street. The fine 
building with the Episcopal parish house and resi- 
dence adjoining has recently gained a most effective 
setting by the sloping Merrick park, the latest addi- 
tion to the city's free resorts, corner State and 
Chestnut streets. Memorial church, at the "North 
End," is one of the most liberal in thought and 
unique in its founding of all religious societies in 
the city. It reflects the character of the late J. G. 
Holland, who was one of the founders. There are 
many others, Methodist, Baptist and orthodox 
churches. Hope church is one of the newest of 
the orthodox creed and is located near the end of 
State street on the hill. 

Under the guidance of Hope church has grown 
the School for Christian Workers, where a singular 
course of instruction is pursued. Its object is to 
train men for an evangelical career, and the stu- 
dents are instructed to lead meetings, trained in the 
elements of science and above all in physical cult- 
ure. The gymnasium is well equipped, and its 
compulsory use is one of the paramount features of 
the education gained there. The school has only 
been open a few years, but already the demands 



19 

on its space are more than it can fill. It has gained 
a wide reputation in the United States, and its 
graduates are at once established in useful posi- 
tions, with good salaries. 

One of the most useful of recent enterprises of 
philanthropy has been the building of the new 
city hospital from legacies, and private and muni- 
cipal benefactions. Mrs. Dorcas Chapin, widow of 
Chester W. Chapin, started the enterprise, with a 
bequest of $25,000, which was followed by one of 
$100,000 from the late William Merrick ; and with 
$28,402 from the citizens of Springfield, and $5,000 
from the city, and what has been gained from enter- 
tainments, the sum has reached $158,567. The hos- 
pital has cost $90,000, which leaves a comfortable 
endowment. The edifice was dedicated in May of 
1889 and was a memorable social event. The wards 
and general equipment are of the best style and the 
walls are adorned by 100 fine pictures given by 
James D. Gill. 

Springfield has several fine school buildings and 
a well conducted system of public schools. There 
are also several private institutions, including Miss 
Catherine Howard's family boarding school ; " The 
Elms," Miss Porter's school for young ladies ; and 
the French Protestant college, recently moved from 
Lowell, Mass., and installed in a new building this 



June. The parochial schools are under the direct 
supervision of the Springfield Roman Catholic dio- 
cese, which has its seat of government in this city. 
The residence of the bishop and the Roman Catho- 
lic cathedral and St. Joseph's convent adjoin the 
parochial school, corner of State and Elliott streets. 

There are many institutions of amusement, and 
the assurance of a new theater to be built on Elm 
street within a few months will remedy one of the 
few weak points in the city's completeness. The 
principal clubs are the Springfield Club, an institu- 
tion of long standing, and the Winthrop Club, a 
younger but no less thriving social organization. 
Beside there is a well equipped tennis club, where 
some of the most expert players generally appear 
annually, and a branch of the American Canoe 
Association, with a house and excellent water course 
at Calla Shasta, on the Connecticut river, a few 
miles below the city. 

The charitable institutions number over a score, 
and possess endowments that reflect the character 
of generous citizens who have passed away. Nota- 
ble among these are the Springfield Home for 
Friendless Women and Children ; the Union Relief 
Association ; the new almshouse, costing over 
$60,000 ; and many masonic, military, and fraternal 
relief associations, and similar organizations. 



Springfield owes no small part of her fame abroad 
to her newspapers and periodicals, which have 
always thrived in her midst. Many have been estab- 
lished for years, have outrun their usefulness, and 
died, but at the present time the city is well supplied 
with a readable and complete record of local and 
foreign events by the competing daily newspapers. 
The Springfield Republican stands first in length of 
service, and, moulded into a leading and popular 
journal by the second Samuel Bowles and still 
continued by his son, has been a creditable institu- 
tion to the city, in its influence for good abroad. 
The Evening Union, the leading evening journal, 
was started in more recent years and has estab- 
lished itself in the homes of the people. The 
Daily News is an evening penny paper, edited by 
Charles J. Bellamy, author of "The Fall of the 
Breton Mills " and other novels. Among the other 
publications are the Springfield Homestead, a 
weekly journal of local gossip ; The Farm and 
Home, published by the Homestead Company, and 
the Paper World and Good Housekeeping, con- 
ducted by Clark W. Bryan. 

Springfield prides herself in her city library, 
which as a building and institution justifies the 
sentiment. It stands on one of the finest sites in 
the city on State street, is built of brick and cost 



22 

$100,000. Its library of upwards of 60,000 vol- 
umes is patronized in a way that is creditable to 
the people, and there are beside a free reading room, 
museum, and portrait gallery of the citizens who 
have made their mark on Springfield's record. 

Ground was broken for a handsome federal build- 
ing for the post-office and the use of government 
officials, in 1888. It is Romanesque in style and 
will be numbered as one of the handsomest in the 
city. Its location is only a few minutes' walk from 
the new depot, another recent addition to the col- 
lection of fine structures. Within a few years a 
new jail, modeled after the most approved style of 
the day, has been completed at a cost of $100,000. 

The Armory buildings are of a plain colonial 
type, and the many that have been built recently 
cling to the style of the early days of the century. 
The Watershops buildings, where the forging for the 
product of the United States Armory is done, are 
located some distance from the Armory grounds, 
on Mill river, and are an interesting place to the 
traveler. 



IV. 
SPRINGFIELD AS A BUSINESS CENTER. 



It has often been remarked by persons who have 
made a study of Springfield's career, that her 
greatest pride has been her industrial success. In 
her earliest days she had an exceptional opportu- 
nity to build up trade and manufacturing ; there 
was the Connecticut river to furnish means of 
transportation — the best in those days — and Mill 
river to turn the wheels. From this germ the city 
has grown to be one of the most thriving manufact- 
uring towns in New England. 

Her location among a cluster of busy and grow- 
ing towns and cities made her the industrial capital 
of Western Massachusetts. The immense popula- 
tion gathered so near the city, readily transported 
by horse and steam cars, has supported extensive 
establishments for mercantile trade, retail and 
wholesale. 

When railroads were introduced to take the 
place of the steamer traffic on the Connecticut, 
Springfield at once had another advantage, for she 
became the chief point of this region along the 



24 

line of the new Western railroad. This distinction 
she has retained up to the present time. Beside 
these roads there are centering at Springfield the 
New York and New England, and the New York, , 
New Haven and Hartford roads. The prospective 
extension of the Connecticut Western road from 
Connecticut to the Poughkeepsie (N. Y.) bridge 
offers an outlet to a rich manufacturing and agri- 
cultural section in Northern Connecticut. New 
York is only a distance of 136 miles, and Boston 
98 miles, while Albany is 102 miles away. 

Some of Springfield's manufacturing concerns 
are worthy of note. The Wason Car Manufactur- 
ing Company are car-builders of world-wide fame. 
Their plant at Brightwood, in the northern part of 
the city, is the largest of the kind in New England. 
Costly passenger coaches have been made by this 
firm during its career of over twenty years. 

The Smith & AVesson revolver works have grown 
and prospered with the city for over a quarter of a 
century. The firm was founded by Horace Smith 
and Daniel B. Wesson in 1857. Mr. Smith retired 
many years ago and the business has since been con- 
ducted by the Wessons. The firm is now the larg- 
est one making revolvers in the world and the 
finished product is of the most superior make. 
About five hundred men are employed. 



25 

Other local industries with a capital of over $ioo,- 
ooo each are as follows : Papeterie and envelopes, 
capital $1,070,000, annual production of $3,000,000 ; 
cigars, capital $250,000, product $600,000 ; bicycles, 
capital $100,000, product $250,000 ; boilers, capital 
$225,500, product $650,000 ; boots and shoes, capital 
$150,000, product $250,000 ; brass foundries, capital 
$500,000, product $550,000 ; breweries, capital $100,- 
000, product $1 10,000 ; bricks, capital $200,000, prod- 
uct $250,000 ; buttons, capital $140,000, product, 
$350,000 ; calendars, capital $200,000, product $150,- 
000 ; cars, capital $500,000, product $700,000 ; car 
axles, capital $100,000, product $75,000 ; confection- 
ery, capital $200,000, product $100,000 ; cotton 
waste, capital $250,000, product $750,000 ; bakeries, 
capital $150,000, product $125,000 ; doors, sashes, and 
blinds, capital $125,000, product $175,000; electric 
light, capital $150,000, product $60,000 ; firearms, 
capital $450,000, product $540,000 ; gas, capital 
$500,000, product $125,000; gas machines, capital 
$150,000, product $100,000 ; iron founders, capital 
$300,000, product $800,000 ; knit goods, capital 
$280,000, product $450,000 ; needles, capital $100,- 
000, product $110,000 ; paint, capital $100,000, prod- 
uct $200,000 ; patent car boxes, capital $300,000, 
product $250,000 ; publishing firms, capital $250,- 
000, product $500,000 ; skates, capital $100,000, 



26 

product $250,000 ; stone workers, capital $200,000, 
product $250,000; textile fabrics, capital $115,000, 
product $200,000; wood workers, capital $125,000, 
product $250,000. 

The Morgan Envelope Company has gained 
much national repute for its government contracts. 
There are important button works, iron works, and 
lithographing establishments. The Milton Bradley 
Company, by its many games, has gained a name. 
In recent years this firm has taken up the kinder- 
garten goods and has manufactured them with 
great success. Its production is one of the largest 
on this side of the ocean. 

The publication of Webster's unabridged diction- 
ary, by the firm of G. & C. Merriam, is another 
industry that has been for years an established 
distinction to the city. The same house publishes 
"Webster's spelling book," that up to the present 
time has a strong demand. 

Springfield's banks are numerous and prosperous, 
and the clearing house record has excelled that of 
Worcester and New Haven, cities of twice the 
population. There are nine national banks and 
three successful savings banks. Several insurance 
companies, reckoned among the most reliable and 
sound in the Commonwealth, have their home in 
Springfield. 



27 

A brief look beyond the town to the communities 
close at hand reveals one cause of Springfield's 
commercial prosperity. Three towns, the smallest 
having over ii,ooo inhabitants, are closely con- 
nected to the city by the frequent trains. 

Holyoke, eight miles from Springfield, with a 
population of over 30,000, has gained the name of 
the "Paper City" from the fact that she manu- 
factures, doubtless, the bulk of the writing paper 
used in the United States. The tremendous water 
power at Holyoke was not measured till 1847, 
when it was found to be equal to 30,000 horse 
power. Capitalists willingly invested in the enter- 
prise of building a dam, and the first company 
started in with a capital of $4,000,000. Before 
much was done the leaders in this company with- 
drew, and there was a reorganization, virtually 
forming a new company, with the same capital. 
The present Holyoke Water Power Company 
gained possession of the property in 1859, and 
began with the comparatively mt)dest capital of 
$350,000. The building of the canals, through 
which the power is distributed, is an ingenious 
piece of engineering. The fall of each level is not 
of course the same ; all are of sufficient force to 
move heavy mills, and to make a busy city, and 
one of unusual appearance with its many canals 



2$ 

and bridges. The paper mills are the principal 
industry and a list is given below : Albion Paper 
Company, Beebe & Holbrook Company, Chemical 
Paper Company, Connecticut River Paper Com- 
pany, Crocker Manufacturing Company, Dickinson 
& Clark Paper Company, Excelsior Paper Com- 
pany, Franklin Paper Company, George R. Dickin- 
son Paper Company, Hampden Glazed Paper and 
Card Company, Holyoke Paper Company, Massa- 
soit Paper Manufacturing Company, Newton Paper 
Company, Nonotuck Paper Company, Parsons 
Paper Company, Parsons Paper Company No. 2, 
Riverside Paper Company, Syms & Dudley Paper 
Company, Valley Paper Company, Wauregan Paper 
Company, Whiting Paper Company, Winona Paper 
Company, and Whitmore Paper Company. There 
are many other important manufacturing indus- 
tries, notably the Lyman cotton mills. 

Chicopee, situated between Holyoke and Spring- 
field, has a population of 11,528, and is chiefly given 
up to manufacturing, also. Northampton completes 
the list of cities. She has 12,896 and differs from 
the other two in many respects. She has less com- 
mercial activity and more of the intellectual life. 
The place abounds in places of historical interest, 
like Springfield, and is the home of many cultured 
and literary people. It is the seat of Smith College 



29 

for women, which was chartered in 187 1. Among 
the other manufacturing communities in the vicin- 
ity are Thompsonville (Ct.), Ludlow, Pittsfield, 
Westfield, and Palmer. 

Springfield's future is bound to be as progressive 
as her past. The number of new blocks that have 
been erected on Main street within two years ex- 
hibits an unusual impetus, and the demand for 
houses and business quarters is growing louder 
every year. The opening of the proposed Connec- 
ticut Western railway will be the promise of 
greater business for the city and will give greater 
facility to local manufacturers and shippers. 



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